The Moon

The Moon is the natural satellite orbiting the Earth. At an average distance of 384,403 kilometers from the Earth, the moon serves as a source of illumination at night, but only through reflected light from the Sun.

The Moon has long held a fascination for humankind. However, while some might like to visit for one afternoon, outside of professional astronauts, some have stated that they don't think they'd like to live there. Notable space exploration agencies include NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and its counterpart WASA, the Worm Aeronautics and Space Administration.

In 1969, NASA launched the Apollo 11 mission, which became the first such mission to successfully land. Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon, and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin became the second. Aldrin's experience gave him great insight into the moon's geological structure; in Sesame Streetepisode 4090, he shares that expertise with Cookie Monster, assuring him that the moon is made of rock and is not, in fact, a cookie. Not to be outdone by Aldrin and the human race, in 1997, WASA sent Slimey the Worm on a space mission, making him the first worm on the moon.

Cookie Monster once again looked to the sky and saw cookies. In January 2010, Cookie Monster wrote on Sesame Street's official Twitter account, "Sometimes Moon look like giant cookie. Must look into joining space program." NASA responded a short time later from their official Twitter feed with information on how to join the space program.[1]

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The Moon as a character

The moon, due to its round shape and topographical craters which at times resemble facial features, has often prompted anthropomorphic representations, such as The Man in the Moon and the moon in "Elmo's World: Sky." It is believed that the one true moon is in fact Luna, good friend to Bear on Bear in the Big Blue House. The moon, in its crescent phase, resembles a letter C. It is not, however, a cookie.